The present invention relates to the field of locking devices for vehicles such as automobiles.
Conventional door lock handles for automobiles consist of elongated members which protrude from the top sill of an auto door. The door locking mechanisms are actuated by pushing downwardly upon the elongated handle to lock the automobile, and conversely, pulling upwardly upon the elongated handle releases the door lock mechanism. The widespread theft of automobiles has been readily performed for many years by slipping thin, elongated tools into the interior of the vehicle, which are utilized to "pop" open the door locks by contacting side portions of the elongated handles and applying lateral forces thereto. In one mode, a wire hanger is slipped between the uppermost edge of the window and the door frame and is lowered until it contacts side portions of the handle. The hanger is manipulated so that an end portion thereof, which is often looped, is able to grasp side portions of the handle to a sufficient extent to enable the handle to be pulled upwardly to release the lock. In a second mode of operation, an elongated tool such as a screwdriver is inserted within a crack between the door and the frame of the vehicle, and the tip of the screwdriver is pressed against side portions of the handle by the thief, and this action produces a sufficient vertical force component to pop the vehicle lock open by displacing the elongated handle in the vertical upward direction.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a simple and inexpensive vehicle door lock handle which substantially deters the theft of automobiles in the manner described above.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel door lock handle which is inexpensive to manufacture, and may readily replace conventional door lock handles to protect the vehicles.